Saturday, May 1, 2010

The Benefits and Proper Use of Rowing Machines

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Rowing machines are exercise equipment that are designed to simulate the body movement of rowing a boat. The difference between rowing a boat and using a machine is that with rowing a boat your upper body gets most of the workout, where with a rowing machine your legs get most of the workout and your upper body only benefits from about 30% of the exercise.

Rowing machines give a full body workout and work both the muscles as well as your heart (cardio) in the same exercise. This is not something that can be achieved with most exercise machines. But unless you use the machine properly, you will not achieve full benefit from it, and you may actually end up with injuries.

It is important to warm up prior to beginning your workout with a rowing machine. This easy and an important step as it will help you to avoid straining your muscles and allow you work out longer. Warm up exercises should be done for a few minutes before boarding the exercise machine.

Once you are all warmed up and ready, check the resistance on the rowing machine. If you are using one of the rowing machines in a gym, this is very important, but if you are using a home rowing machine, you probably already have the resistance set where you need it.

However, it is a good habit to get into just in case one of the kids decided to use the machine the night before and did not set the resistance back where you had it. Start with a lower resistance and work your way up to more resistance, this is especially important if your goal is to lose weight.

You will need to learn how to properly grip the handles of your rowing machine. You want a firm but relaxed grip on the machine so that you are not putting too much stress on your arm muscles. Gripping the handles too tightly will cause you to use those muscles for the grip and they won't be able to benefit from the workout as much.

Carefully read the instructions that come with your home rowing machine, or watch the video if it comes with one, and make sure that you are using the proper form when using it. If you are at a gym, ask one of the trainers to make sure you are using the machine properly; they won't usually charge you for a personal training session just to answer that simple question.

Rowing machines work all of your major muscles. However, a rowing machine can put the same major muscles under undue stress if you are not using the machine properly. This stress on the muscles can have several negative effects. First, you will not get the full cardio workout that is intended with this machine if your body is focusing on repairing the stressed muscles. Second, your body does need to repair stressed muscles. You don't want to repair your muscles; you want to build them and make them stronger. Lastly, you can end up with a serious injury to your back or other major muscles if you are not using the machine properly, which will impede on your entire workout schedule, as well as other parts of your life.

Rowing machines are exercise equipment that are designed to simulate the body movement of rowing a boat. The difference between rowing a boat and using a machine is that with rowing a boat your upper body gets most of the workout, where with a rowing machine your legs get most of the workout and your upper body only benefits from about 30% of the exercise.

Rowing machines give a full body workout and work both the muscles as well as your heart (cardio) in the same exercise. This is not something that can be achieved with most exercise machines. But unless you use the machine properly, you will not achieve full benefit from it, and you may actually end up with injuries.

It is important to warm up prior to beginning your workout with a rowing machine. This easy and an important step as it will help you to avoid straining your muscles and allow you work out longer. Warm up exercises should be done for a few minutes before boarding the exercise machine.

Once you are all warmed up and ready, check the resistance on the rowing machine. If you are using one of the rowing machines in a gym, this is very important, but if you are using a home rowing machine, you probably already have the resistance set where you need it.

However, it is a good habit to get into just in case one of the kids decided to use the machine the night before and did not set the resistance back where you had it. Start with a lower resistance and work your way up to more resistance, this is especially important if your goal is to lose weight.

You will need to learn how to properly grip the handles of your rowing machine. You want a firm but relaxed grip on the machine so that you are not putting too much stress on your arm muscles. Gripping the handles too tightly will cause you to use those muscles for the grip and they won't be able to benefit from the workout as much.

Carefully read the instructions that come with your home rowing machine, or watch the video if it comes with one, and make sure that you are using the proper form when using it. If you are at a gym, ask one of the trainers to make sure you are using the machine properly; they won't usually charge you for a personal training session just to answer that simple question.

Rowing machines work all of your major muscles. However, a rowing machine can put the same major muscles under undue stress if you are not using the machine properly. This stress on the muscles can have several negative effects. First, you will not get the full cardio workout that is intended with this machine if your body is focusing on repairing the stressed muscles. Second, your body does need to repair stressed muscles. You don't want to repair your muscles; you want to build them and make them stronger. Lastly, you can end up with a serious injury to your back or other major muscles if you are not using the machine properly, which will impede on your entire workout schedule, as well as other parts of your life.


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